Coaster Landmark
Award

Plaque Text

American Coaster Enthusiasts recognizes Batman The Ride as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, a designation reserved for rides of historical significance.

As the world’s first inverted looping roller coaster, the revolutionary design was developed by Swiss engineers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, together with engineer Robert Mampe and former park manager Jim Wintrode, who first envisioned the concept of a train running on the outside of a loop. From a maximum track height of 105-feet, riders are suspended and turned upside down five times utilizing vertical loops, flat-spin corkscrews, and the first element of its type, the zero-gravity "heartline" spin. With an 84-foot, 6-inch tall curved first drop, the stylish floorless trains, designed to simulate a flying sky lift seat, offer unprecedented intensity, while maintaining remarkable smoothness, comfort, and pacing along its tight 2,683-foot long course.

This unique attraction, with theming based on the popular Batman films, quietly opened to the public on May 2, 1992, with a gala premiere a week later. Considered one of the most important events in modern coaster history, its debut inspired both a series of successful reproductions, as well as larger installations worldwide. Today, Batman The Ride remains an integral part of Six Flags Great America's world-class collection of roller coasters.

Presented during the 28th Annual Convention
of the American Coaster Enthusiasts
June 2005